I think I got my days mixed up because our itnerary changed.
Now for Day 10
June 21, 2006
We left Krakow today and started our long trek south. I know that during the entire pilgrimage we drove 2000 kilometers. And it seemed as though this day we covered 1000 of them!!!
Even though we started out early we were delayed at the Poland/Slovakia border when one person could not find his/her passport. The border people let us through and we had to park while the passport was found. Some of us stood around the person hunting for the passport and prayed. It was finally found in her regular luggage -- it was not on their person as we were instructed that morning at breakfast.
By the way, the breakfasts at the motels were fabulous (other than the half-cooked scrambled eggs) LOL! We always had several kinds of sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs -- one morning we even had individual omelets! Lots of juice and fruit as well as hard-boiled eggs, cereal, yogurt and plentiful supplies of 100% milk and fresh cream. Coffee was always served in the morning, but if we wanted coffee with our evening meal we usually had to pay extra for it, just like a cocktail or other kind of beverage. Bottled water was always available at all the breakfast buffets. A thing that was astonishing to me was the fact that offered were also a complete bread, cold cuts, cheese, etc. for making a sandwich if we so desired. We got smart along the way when our dinner was delayed until 8:00 pm and we had no lunch stop and started making sandwiches to take along the way. Whole fruit was also available. In other words, we ate our way through Eastern Europe!!
We continued across the flat and green plains of Slovakia and entered Hungary. Driving into Budapest was a wonderful experience -- it seemed so romantic for the couples. The Buda part of Budapest is a flat plain. It united with the Pest part that is located all up a steep hill. What divides these two parts of Budapest? The Danube River!! Now you can see why I thought it was so romantic.
Our motel was only two blocks from a huge town square. But more about that tomorrow.
President Bush was also in Budapest at the same time we were so some of the sight-seeing routes were blocked out. However, our driver, being a native of Germany, knew his way around the back streets of Budapest and we got to where we were going -- eventually. I didn't see that having Bush in the town made that much of a difference, but I guess to the natives, it was noticeable.
Dinner that night was on our own and it was finally here that I was able to use my credit card and get some more cash -- euros. The dollar is weaker than the euro, so each euro was worth $1.35. The exchange rate seemed to change day by day. In Czech Republic and Poland the dollar was stronger so it seemed like we got more money. )If only that was the truth!!)
June 22, 2006
Puzta, Hungary
Our days switched again and we found ourselves traveling to a traditional Hungarian horse ranch. OK, being from Oregon, I have seen cutting and horse tricks in an arena. Besides the arena was all sandy and dusty. It was a beautiful place however with a lovely outdoor eating area.
We had a delicious lunch with goulash soup, potatoes and meat. Definitely hot weather here.
There was a display of lovely needlework and several of us purchased tablecloths. I didn't know it at the time, but they were less costly here than in a little shop in Budapest that we stopped in later.
Our afternoon and evening were free in Budapest so we all got tickets to the underground and went down to the waterfront for a boat ride up the Danube. This was absolutely a glorious decision on the part of some of us. Traveling the Danube at sunset -- oh! how romantic. We could see the beautiful architecture of Budapest -- flat on one side and a big hill on the other side. I think we went under at least four bridges -- reminded me of Portland, OR.
The parliament building and the churches were especially outstanding. On the top of the hill were numerous statues overlooking and guarding the city. I'll see if I can find some pictures. I would say this trip hit fourth place as a favorite behind the Infant of Prague Auschwitz/Wadowice and Krakow/Neopokalanow.
The Chain Bridge
"Hungary is not dead ; she will live again!"-this is how, in the first part of the nineteenth century, Count István Széchenyi, one of the greatest figures of the Reform Period, whom Lajos Kossuth called "the greatest Hungarian", encouraged the nation, groaning under foreign oppression. He himself whole-heatedly urged and sponsored the building of factories, mills, roads and bridges. It was in his initiative, and according to his ideas, that the Chain Bridge was built from 1839 to 1849 to the plans of the English engineer William Tierney Clark by Adam Clark, a Scot.
The bridge, 380 meters (420 yds.) long and 15.7 meters (17.5 yds.) wide, is supported by pillars shaped like antique triumphal arches. It was the first bridge over the Danube and it not only linked Buda with Pest but also the western with the eastern parts of the country. In January 1945 Hitler's troops blew it up, but in 1948-49 it was rebuilt in its original form.
More photos: http://www.fsz.bme.hu/hungary/budapest/kepek/szines.htm
Budapest sights: http://www.budapest.com/tours/